Thomas
LINLEY, The Younger (1756-1778) A lyric ode on the Fairies, Aerial Beings and
Witches of Shakespeare ‘The Shakespeare Ode’
(1776): (Overture: Andante —
Allegro [5:58]; Minuetto [1:55|; PART
I: O guardian of that sacred land [4:27];
Tis thine alone [1:00]; Come then, O
Fancy, bend thy bow [2:24]; At Shakespeare's
happy birth [1:20]; And now is come the
fated hour [1:59]; Be Shakespeare born!
[2:13]; So spake the god [0:26]; There
in old Arden's inmost shade [3:09]; And
as before his purged eyes [0:24]; Thy hand
his youthful footsteps led [3:50]; Some
drive the clam'rous owl away [1:59]; Some
drive the clam'rous owl away [2:48]; PART
2: But oh! what sudden gloom [1:42];
By the pale light of yon blue fire [0:37];
See, through the glimmering darkness [0:18];
What howling whirlwinds rend the sky! [1:48];
For whom, at yonder livid flame [1:13];
Whither ye beldames do ye roam? [4:03];
The tempests cease [3:14]; No more the
elves, with printless pace [0:30]; Ariel,
who sees thee now? [3:59]; No more shalt
thou upon the sharp north run [0:24]; For
who can wield like Shakespeare's skilful hand?
[4:52]; Yet, Fancy, once again on Britain smile
[3:20] Julia Gooding and Lorna Anderson (sopranos);
Richard Wistreich (bass);
The Parley of Instruments Baroque Orchestra and
Choir/Peter Holman; Paul Nicholson
rec. 25-27 March 1992, St Paul’s Church, New Southgate,
London. DDD
Originally issued on Hyperion CDA66613
HYPERION HELIOS CDH55253 [60:03]

In his review of the
original release of this recording in
1993, Stanley Sadie commented in the
Gramophone that this is "Very enjoyable,
unpretentious music: a disc well worth
trying." This quotation from his
review is on the back cover of this
re-issued CD. The disc went on to win
the Gramophone Editor’s Choice. Sadie’s
review, however, was otherwise somewhat
condescending and he commented that
"this is minor music of the age
of Haydn and Mozart, decidedly conservative
and (let us admit) provincial in idiom;
and, of course, it hardly begins to
rise to the scale of its subject — how
indeed could it?" Damning with
faint praise? As Grove informs us, Linley
"was one of the most precocious
composers and performers that have been
known in England. He gave evidence of
exceptional musical ability at a very
early age and was soon studying music
with his father. He played a concerto
at a concert in Bristol on 29 July 1763,
when aged just 7". Born in the
same year as Mozart, the Ode was written
in 1776 when he was only 20 and shows
a remarkable technical and compositional
assurance reflecting a transition in
style from Purcell via Handel and Boyce
through to Arne. With great misfortune
for English music he died the following
year in a boating accident at Grimsthorpe
Castle in Lincolnshire – "one of
the greatest losses that English music
has suffered" (Grove). The 1824
edition of A Dictionary of Musicians,
writing about this very ode, went so
far as to state "Neither Purcell
nor Mozart ever gave stronger proof
of original genius than could be traced
in this charming ode".

This "Shakespeare
Ode" contains exquisite and tuneful
music, always fresh and original, which,
as the Dictionary of Musicians
pointed out "keeps the attention
alive from the first bar of the overture
to the close of the ode". Listen,
for instance to the solo soprano aria
"Come, then O fancy"
or the duet for two sopranos "For
who can wield like Shakespeare’s skillful
hand". The choruses "O
guardian of that sacred land"
and "Yet fancy once again"
have an assurance and grandeur which
belies the age of the composer. Yes,
they do have definite echoes of Purcell
and Handel, but are in no way derivative;
Linley, alas, did not live long enough
to develop a completely individual style.
The performance is exemplary and it
is wonderful to have the re-issue at
mid-price. A masterful composition brought
to life in a masterful performance!

So, I would agree with
the view that this is very enjoyable
music but not that it is any way minor
or unpretentious. Mozart may have been
right when he told Michael Kelly in
1784, six years after Linley’s death,
that Linley was …. "a true genius
and had he lived he would have been
one of the greatest ornaments of the
musical world". Highly recommended!

Reviews
from previous monthsJoin the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the
discs reviewed. detailsWe welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin
Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to
which you refer.